Jin Gyohoon 59.40% vs Kim Taewoo 36.64%
In the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo District in Seoul, which will serve as a barometer of public sentiment in the Seoul metropolitan area for the 22nd general election, a 'landslide victory for the opposition party' has become likely. In this election, where the ruling party's accountability and the previous administration's accountability were at odds, the Democratic Party of Korea outpaced the People Power Party by more than 20 percentage points. The People Power Party now faces a 'crisis theory' in the metropolitan area elections that could determine the outcome of next year's general election, making a major strategic overhaul inevitable.
On the 11th, when the by-election for the Mayor of Gangseo-gu, Seoul was held, Jin Gyo-hoon, the Democratic Party candidate, and the leadership at the campaign office in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, were watching the vote count broadcast and shouting slogans. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
According to the National Election Commission, as of 11:41 PM on the 11th, with 71.57% of the votes counted in the Gangseo District Mayor by-election, Democratic Party candidate Jin Gyo-hoon secured 59.40% of the votes, leading People Power Party candidate Kim Tae-woo (36.64%) by a double-digit margin.
The final voter turnout for this Seoul Gangseo District Mayor by-election was tentatively calculated at 48.7%. According to the National Election Commission, out of 500,603 eligible voters in Gangseo District, 243,665 cast their ballots. Early voting participation reached 22.64%, setting a record for the highest early voting rate in any previous by-election or re-election. However, despite the high early voting rate, the turnout on the actual election day was low, resulting in a final turnout below 50%. Previously, the voter turnout in Gangseo District was 56.4% during the 2021 Seoul mayoral by-election and 51.7% in last year's local elections.
Kim Tae-woo, the People Power Party candidate for Gangseo District Mayor, visited the election office in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the evening of the 11th and watched the vote counting broadcast with a calm expression. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Although the turnout was lower than in the Seoul mayoral by-election and local elections, it was higher than the political circles initially expected. The political community had anticipated a turnout of around 45% for this Gangseo District Mayor by-election. Generally, a higher turnout is considered advantageous for the opposition party, and in this election, the unexpectedly high turnout increasingly favored the Democratic Party's victory.
However, with the Democratic Party winning by an overwhelming margin, a backlash against the ruling People Power Party is inevitable. Within the People Power Party, there is a high likelihood of leadership accountability being raised for nominating a candidate despite causing the by-election and for allowing Kim Tae-woo to participate in the primary and ultimately being selected as the final candidate.
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